Despite the lack of formulation that seemed to drag the film on for more than it's apparent 2-hour running time, the dialogue in the film was masterful, picking up the quirky one-liners that made Ocean's 11 an oft-quoted movie.

Very few movies are able to convey a message and captivate an audience using the basic principles of filmmaking. But, in Paul Haggis’s emotional powerhouse, In The Valley of Elah, the 2-time Academy-Award winner proves that he’s becoming an important writer-slash-director in Hollywood without relying on lucrative special effects or raunchy sex scenes.